Free Astronomy Magazine January-February 2025 ARABIC VERSION

A 17 mongthemanyviewsofthe Universe that modern tele- scopesoffer,someofthe most breathtaking are images like this.Dottedwithcountlessgalaxies — each one of incomprehensible size — they make apparent the tremendous scale and richness of the cosmos. Taking center stage here, beguiling in its seeming sim- plicity,theellipticalgalaxyNGC1270 radiates an ethereal glow into the surroundingdarkness.Andalthough it may seem like an island adrift in the deep ocean of space, this objectis part of something much larger than itself. NGC 1270 is just one member of the Perseus Cluster, a group of thou- sands of galaxies that lies around240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus. This image, taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) ontheGeminiNorthtelescope,one halfoftheInternationalGeminiOb- servatory—supportedinpartbythe U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab — captures a dazzling collection of galaxiesinthecentralregionofthis enormous cluster. Looking at such a diverse array, shownhereinspectacularclarity,it’s astonishingtothinkthatwhenNGC 1270wasfirstdiscoveredin1863it wasnotwidelyacceptedthatother galaxies even existed. Many of the objects that are now known to be galaxieswereinitiallydescribed as nebulae, owing to their cloudy, amorphous appearance. The idea thattheyareentitiesofasimilarsize to our own Milky Way, or ‘island Universes’asImmanuelKantcalled them,wasspeculatedonbyseveral astronomersthroughouthistory,but was not proven. Instead, many thought they were smaller objects on the outskirts of the Milky Way, which many believed to comprise most or all of the Universe. ﻣـﻦ ﺑـ ا ﻨـﺎﻇﺮ اﻟﻌﺪﻳـﺪة اﻟﺘـﻲ ﺗﻘـﺪﻣﻬﺎ اﻟﺘﻠﺴﻜﻮﺑﺎت اﻟﺤﺪﻳﺜﺔ ﻟﻠﻜﻮن ﺗﻌﻄﻲ اﻟﺼـﻮر اﻷﻛﺜﺮ إﺛﺎرة ﻟﻠﺪﻫﺸﺔ وﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﻫـﺬه اﻟﺼـﻮرة ﻓﻬﻲ ﻣﻠﻴﺌﺔ ﺑﻌﺪد ﻻ ﻳﺤﴡﻣﻦ ا ﺠﺮات ﻛـﻞ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﺑﺤﺠﻢ ﻻ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻓﻬﻤﻪ وﺗﻮﺿﺢ اﻟﺤﺠﻢ اﻟﻬﺎﺋﻞ وﺛﺮاء اﻟﻜﻮن . ﺗﺘﺼﺪر ا ﺠﺮة اﻹﻫﻠﻴﻠﺠﻴﺔ NGC 1270 ﻣﺮﻛﺰ اﻟﺼﺪارة ﻫﻨـﺎ وﻫـﻲ ﺳـﺎﺣﺮة ﰲ ﺑﺴـﺎﻃﺘﻬﺎ اﻟﻈﺎﻫﺮة وﺗﺸـﻊ ﺗﻮﻫﺠـ ﺎً أﺛ ﻳـ ﺎً ﰲ اﻟﻈـﻼم ا ﺤﻴﻂ ﺑﻬﺎ وﻋﲆ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ أﻧﻬـﺎ ﻗـﺪ ﺗﺒـﺪو وﻛﺄﻧﻬﺎ ﺟﺰﻳﺮة ﺗﺎﺋﻬﺔ ﰲ ﻣﺤﻴﻂ ﻋﻤﻴـﻖ ﻣـﻦ اﻟﻔﻀﺎء إﻻ أن ﻫﺬا اﻟ ﺠﺮم أ ء ﺟﺰء ﻣﻦﳾ ﻛﱪ ﺑﻜﺜ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻔﺴﻪ . ا ﺠﺮة 1270 NGC ﻫﻲ ﻣﺠﺮد ﻋﻀﻮ واﺣـﺪ ﰲ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ ﺎوسﺷﺮ ﺑ وﻫﻲ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋـﺔ ﻣـﻦ آﻻف ا ﺠﺮات ﺗﻘﻊ ﻋﲆ ﻣﺴﺎﻓﺔ ﺣـﻮاﱄ 240 ﻣﻠﻴ ﻮن ﺳﻨﺔ ﺿﻮﺋﻴﺔ ﻣـﻦ اﻷرض ﰲ ﻛﻮﻛﺒـﺔ ﺎوسﺷ ـ ﺮ ﺑ إن . ﻫ ـﺬه اﻟﺼ ـﻮرة اﻟﺘ ـﻲ ﺗ ـﻢ اﻟﺘﻘﺎﻃﻬ ـﺎ ﺑﺎﺳـﺘﺨﺪام ﻣﻄﻴ ـﺎف ﺟﻴﻤﻴﻨ ـﻲ ﻣﺘ ﻌـﺪد اﻷﺟـﺮام ) GMOS ( ﻋـﲆ ﺗﻠﺴـﻜﻮب ﺟﻴﻤﻴﻨﻲ ﻧﻮرث ﺿﻤﻦ ﻣﺮﺻﺪ ﺟﻴﻤﻴﻨﻲ اﻟﺪوﱄ اﻟـﺬي ﺗﺪﻋﻤـﻪ ﻣﺆﺳﺴـﺔ اﻟﻌﻠـﻮم اﻟﻮﻃﻨﻴـﺔ اﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ وﻳﺪﻳﺮه ﻣﺨﺘـﱪ ﻧـﻮﻳﺮﻻب اﻟﺘـﺎﻳﻊ ﺆﺳﺴﺔ ﻟﻌﻠﻮم اﻟﻮﻃﻨﻴﺔ اﻷﻣﺮﻳﻜﻴﺔ ﺗﻠـﺘﻘﻂ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ ﻣﺒﻬﺮة ﻣـﻦ ا ﺠـﺮات ﰲ ا ﻨﻄﻘـﺔ ا ﺮﻛﺰﻳﺔ ﻟﻬﺬه ا ﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ اﻟﻬﺎﺋﻠﺔ . ﺑﺎﻟﻨﻈ ﺮ إﱃ ﻣﺜـﻞ ﻫـﺬه ا ﺠﻤﻮﻋـﺔ ا ﺘﻨﻮﻋـﺔ ا ﻌﺮوﺿﺔ ﻫﻨﺎ ﺑﻮ ﻓ ﺿﻮح ﻣﺬﻫﻞ ﻤﻦ ا ﺪﻫﺶ أن ﻧﻔﻜﺮ أﻧﻪ ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﺗﻢ اﻛﺘﺸﺎف NGC 1270 ﻷول ﻣﺮة ﰲ ﻋﺎم 1863 ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﻦ ﻣﻦ ا ﻘﺒـﻮل ﻋﲆ ﻧﻄﺎق واﺳﻊ وﺟﻮد ﻣﺠﺮات أﺧﺮى . ﺗﻢ وﺻﻒ اﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻷﺟﺴﺎم ا ﻌﺮوﻓﺔ اﻵن ﺑﺄﻧﻬﺎ ﻣﺠﺮا ت ﰲ اﻟﺒﺪاﻳﺔ ﻋﲆ أﻧﻬﺎ ﺳﺪم ﻧﻈﺮ اً ﻈﻬﺮﻫﺎ اﻟ ﻐﺎﺋﻢ وﻏ ا ﺘﺒﻠﻮر . ﻟﻘﺪ ﻛﺎﻧﺖ ﻓﻜﺮة أن ﻫﺬه اﻷﺟﺮام اﻟﺴـﻤﺎوﻳﺔ ﻫﻲ ﻛﻴﺎﻧﺎت ﺗ ﺸﺒﻪ ﻣﺠﺮﺗﻨـﺎ درب اﻟﺘﺒﺎﻧـﺔ ﰲ اﻟﺤﺠﻢ اﻟﻜﻮ " أو ن اﻟﺠﺰري " ﻛﻤـﺎ أﺳـﻤﺎﻫﺎ إﻳﻤﺎﻧﻮﻳﻞ ﻛﻨﻂ ﻓﻜﺮة ﺗﻜﻬﻦ ﺑﻬﺎ اﻟ ﻌﺪﻳﺪ ﻣـﻦ ﻋﻠﻤﺎء اﻟﻔﻠﻚ ﻋﱪ اﻟﺘـﺎرﻳﺦ وﻟﻜـﻦ ﻟـﻢ ﻳـﺘﻢ إﺛﺒﺎﺗﻬﺎ وﺑﺪﻻً ﻣﻦ ذﻟﻚ اﻋﺘ ﻘﺪ اﻟﻜﺜ ون أﻧﻬـﺎ أﺟﺴﺎم أﺻﻐﺮ ﺎً ﺣﺠﻤ ﻋـﲆ أﻃـﺮاف ﻣﺠـﺮة درب اﻟﺘﺒﺎﻧﺔ واﻟﺘﻲ ﻳﻌﺘﻘـﺪ اﻟﻜﺜـ ون أﻧﻬـﺎ ﺗﺸﻜﻞ ﻣﻌﻈﻢ اﻟﻜﻮن أو ﻛﻠﻪ . 17